Thursday, December 28, 2006

The Church of Scientology has a drug prevention campaign that gets results. This includes prevention of drug abuse through effective education on the devastating effects of drugs.Find out more at www.notodrugs-yestolife.org.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

The best way of conveying the truth about drugs and their dangers is from the perspective of those who have 'been there' and can pass on what they have learned so others avoid going down the same path.Here is a sampling of such real-life stories from those who have experienced the living hell of drug abuse. Too many however are not here to tell their stories.Share this information with your loved ones. Drug education saves lives."My goal in life wasn't living...it was getting high. I was falling in a downward spiral towards a point of no return. Over the years, I turned to cocaine, marijuana and alcohol under a false belief it would allow me to escape my problems. It just made things worse. I had everything, a good job, money, a loving family, yet I felt so empty inside. As if I had nothing. Over 20 years of using, I kept saying to myself, I'm going to stop permanently after using this last time. It never happened. There were even moments I had thought of giving up on life."— John"It started with the weed, then the pills (Ecstasy) and acid, making cocktails of all sorts of drugs, even overdosing to make the rushes last longer. I took copious amounts of these chemicals every day for as long as two years until I had a bad trip one night and went into toxic psychosis. I prayed and cried for this feeling to go away, I had voices in my head, had the shakes and couldn't leave home for 6 months. I became very withdrawn and thought everyone was watching me. I couldn't walk in public places. Man! I couldn't even drive.I ended up homeless and on the streets, living and sleeping in a cardboard box, begging and struggling to find ways to get my next meal.I asked myself if this is rock bottom and I believe that it was. While observing these homeless people, I decided that I had had enough. Yes, I wanted drugs but I realized that I could want life more."— B.K.

Monday, December 18, 2006

The Foundation for a Drug-Free World, a non-profit corporation that empowers youth and adults with facts about illicit drugs, this year unleashed a worldwide drug information program that takes aim at "drug abuse of all types," according to the Los Angeles-based foundation's president, Lidia Dinges.

"Drugs destroy and ruin millions of lives every year," said Ms. Dinges at the group's launch in the UK on October 22, 2006. "With governmentts spending billions to deal with the threat of drug abuse and related crime and violence, it's time to bring real solutons to every community."

The Foundation's answer is its "Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life" global campaign, the centerpiece for which is a "Truth About Drugs" information kit containing educational booklets that describe in factual, fully documented terms the most abused drugs in America today. Published in 20 languages, each booklet presents compelling real-life accounts of former abusers who tell of the ruinous effects of methamphetamine (crystal meth), ecstasy, marijuana, "kiddie cocaine" (Ritalin), crack, painkillers and other widely abused street and prescription drugs.

Production and distribution of the education kit are made possible through donations and sponsorships by private organizations, including businesses, civic groups, churches, and drug and alcohol recovery support networks. Governments also provide public funding to Foundation-affiliated organizations. In New Zealand, for example, a city council paid for reprints of thousands of booklets for community distribution, while Taiwan's Education Ministery helped finance more than 100,000 "Truth About Ecstasy" booklets. Children in hundreds of Taiwnese schools have, with the Ministry's endorsement and support, participated in drug education lectures. The result: a 65 percent drop in ecstasy use in all targeted age groups.

"Effective drug education can and will work," says Ms. Dinges, who grew up in a high-risk Los Angeles area neighborhood rife with drug-driven gangs and violent crime. "By empowering our children -- and adults -- with the facts needed to live drug-free, we can save millions of lives in cities across the globe."

Documented results show that providing factual information about the world's most abused drugs is successful in country after country. In early 1987 -- the same year the United Nations General Assembly instituted its annual International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking -- the Church of Scientology International, a key supporter in the formation of the Foundation, initiated its "Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life" campaign in Italy. Soon thereafter, the multi-cultural, multi-faith European effort expanded into a worldwide pledge-signing endeavor, wherein people young and old sign a commitment to live their lives drug-free. From this, a "Lead the Way to a Drug-Free USA" program evolved in the United States. In April 1993, that campaign expanded with the launch of the "Drug-Free Marshals," a program that educaties children and youth about the danger of drugs and challenges them to remain drug-free and to set a good example to their friends and family.

In 1995, "Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life" volunteers began passing out booklets on the harmful effects of marijuana, speed, cocaine and other street drugs. That initiative has earned wide recognition from concerned citizens and both governmental and non-governmental organizations. Today, "Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life" chapters are active in more than 50 countries, with drug awareness events taking place in over 550 cities this past year.

From its Los Angeles headquarters, the Foundation for a Drug-Free World now spearheads the "Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life" initiative and the distribution of the new "Truth About Drugs" tools internationally to children, teens, parents and families, youth organizations, schools, community centers and companies. The Foundation's worldwide anti-drug offensive for 2007 will call upon the manpower of an estimated 3,000 volunteers in more than 150 chapters on five continents.

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Mind altering drugs and their devastating effects have become an epidemic in societies through the world. There are solutions to this that can be found in The Scientology Handbook. Information on this can be found at www.scientologyhandbook.org